I Hate Black Cats
by Warm-Ice
Summary: AU set in far, far future. In VALE2, everything goes according to plan. Everyone plays their rightful roles in their rightful places in life. Kagome was supposed to become the miko of their shrine. But everything changes when a black cat crosses her path.
1. Ominous

**I Hate Black Cats**

by: Warm-Ice

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-yasha or any of its character. I do own any OC that may arise in this story however.

_Smile! If the rain outside the window won't stop..._

_Smile! If you failed to do something..._

_Smile! If happiness hid behind the clouds..._

_Smile! Even if your soul got slightly scratched..._

_Smile! And you'll see how everything changes..._

_Smile! The rain will stop and the ground will dress up in snow..._

_Smile! And your sorrow will pass by..._

_Smile! And then your soul will begin to live..._

_Smile (Translated)--Vitas_

It was raining that day.

The clouds were dark in VALE2, a stark contrast to the bright sun the sky had just a few moments ago. She was going home under the comfort a single black umbrella, looking out at the street as people passed her by, in a hurry to hide from the rain. Cars were speeding by; it was always traffic when VALE2 released rain. She shivered just a little, feeling the drizzle splash across her face. The red lights turned green and the hover cars stopped. The people she was surrounded by started their trek across the street while ignoring the bright flashes of holo-commercials above them and Kagome, B-class citizen number 2007103729, did the same.

That night was colder than any other nights she could remember. She had to get home soon. Looking around at the crowd of people, she could only make out the colors gray, white and black. That was always the color of everyone and everything. She had to admit that this world, VALE2—the recreated VALE1 from the people who survived the Great Battle—was dull. Everyday went as planned and everybody kept to themselves. Even she was dull. She was a normal B-class citizen, nothing special. She was training to become the Miko of their shrine (which the government turned into a museum for those who wished to commemorate old traditions from the earlier world, Earth) but other than that, she was just like everybody else.

But everything was peaceful here, the streets are quiet and no one is disturbing anyone. The government has been doing a wonderful job keeping the peace, the monotony.

Just as she was in the middle of the road, she saw between the scurrying people...

A little girl.

She was wet. Her eyes were wild. She was searching for someone, anyone. Her mouth was open but her voice could not be heard. No one even spared her a glance. Somehow, the sight of her compelled Kagome. But she did not stop from walking. That girl was meant to be there. Everything went according to plan after all. She was poor because her parents did not work hard enough and that is the punishment the government gave them. Whatever the girl had, she deserved. That was everyone's belief.

She was well across the street when she, for some reason, turned around. And to her horror, the girl was just standing there, still as a statue and looking as broken as a rag doll.

_What is she doing?_

Her eyes darted to the stoplight. It was blinking green and turning red. Panic set in and her adrenaline began to pump her heart rapidly. She had never been a hero, never was the kind. But that girl...

With those crying brown eyes...

Wet mop-like hair covering her face...

Thin, dirty old clothes clinging to her small shivering body...

Before she knew it she was already running towards her. The light turned red and the cars started to run. All Kagome, B-class citizen number 2007103729, a commoner whose life was supposedly to become the miko of their age-old shrine, could do was run and push her off the road. She rolled on the floor many times, her mind was practically pouring out of her ears by that point. She could hear the faint gasps and honks of the cars in the background. What had she just done? She asked herself this as she stared up at the dark sky, feeling the purified rainwater assaulting her face. But once she sat up right, holding her head in hand, she found the girl sitting on her muddy lap, staring at her with those wide eyes. All she could say was,

"Are you alright?" Because she definitely wasn't.

The girl nodded dumbly, making Kagome sigh. Well that made one of them. Everyone was staring at them now; the uniformity of everyday life had just been disturbed. She had no time to think because as she got up, the little girl took her hand and pulled her away, giving her no chance to get back her lost umbrella. It surprised her that the girl had such a strong grip for such a dainty little thing. She seemed to be desperate, Kagome concluded, if she was clinging to anyone for help.

It was then that an ominous feeling hit her.

In this world where everything was at peace the way it was—highly intelligent people working all their lives to earn a living, high level technology ruling the world, a world where there was little to no crime rate and everything went according to pre-destined wills of their all powerful government—she had made a splash. And she felt afraid that the ripples she created would come to haunt her. And at the corner of her eyes, as the little girl pulled her into an alley, she realized that a black cat had just passed her.

She remembered long ago, when her father was still alive. It was winter then, and he brought home this little box. It was a music box, he explained to her. He told her that when it was opened, it would start to play beautiful music. But when Kagome opened it, it made no sound. She was only greeted by a dusty ballerina, standing stiff and still. She asked him, where was the music? To which he merely smiled.

"I'll fix it and make it all better. Then the music will come out."

"Why do you have to fix it?"

"Because," he said, closing the old box and taking it from her hands. "It's been broken."

"Why don't you just throw it away?" she asked still, looking over her father's shoulder as he tinkered with it.

He chuckled just a little and God, how she missed hearing his chuckle. "Because I know I can fix it." He said.

She didn't really think anything of it after that. It didn't mean anything so deep to her. But now, as she stood there at the end of an alleyway, face to face with a man dripping with rain, dirt and blood...she knew exactly what those words meant.

His silver hair, an indication that he was not a normal B-class citizen, was like a blanket covering half his face. His posture was horrible but that could be blamed to the cuts, bruises, and burns that his body sustained. His clothes were dirty and ripped and stained and he was standing on a badly damaged leg. His eyes were emotionless but his breaths came in pants. There was blood smeared on his cheek, but there was no wound. He seemed dangerous...but at the same time tired.

Only one word came to her mind.

_Broken._

She tried to run away but the girl held her there still, looking up at her with those desperate eyes. In her mind she could hear her asking, _why are you leaving me?_ Kagome grabbed the girl by her arms and cast the intimidating creature looking back at her with cold amber eyes a wary glance before turning back to her. "Listen to me. Stay away from dangerous people like him, okay? No one knows what he might do to you. Now, let's go, I'll take you to—"

But the girl shook her head violently, pulling her into the alley and pointing at him again and again. Kagome looked up at him again, only to find that he narrowed his eyes at her, making a shiver run down her spine. He looked like a wounded tramp, afraid to be touched and dying.

"No," Kagome said, trying to pull her back. "We have to go—"

But the girl lashed out of her grasp and ran to the strange man. Kagome opened her mouth to call her back but to her surprise, he let her hug his leg, the one that was unharmed. His large hand rested gently on her head and he no longer looked like a tramp. Now he looked like a protector. It was then that Kagome understood.

"Alright. I understand. I'll get some help." She said, starting to turn and look for the police, assuming that these two had been robbed.

"No." a low, velvety, almost inhumanly smooth voice stopped her from her tracks and she turned back around slowly to make sure he was the one that spoke. For a moment, she had thought they were both mute. His eyes, on second thought, were not amber. They were golden. And they were gleaming in the darkness. They were gleaming against the colorless life of everything. "No one shall know of us." he spoke again. It was a demand, she realized. Somewhere in her mind she knew that if anyone else was hurt in front of her and declined the help of a police, she'd call him crazy and give him a big fat lecture. But this was different. He was different.

She was going to get into trouble. She just knew it.

"Alright."

(o)---(o)

_**Authoress' Corner:**_

Now that I'm officially in college (Woot! Woot!) I have an official and very valid reason for not making any stories other than writer's block-isis. But I seem to find myself with just a little bit of free time and I realize that without writing stories, I have absolutely nothing to do! So here I am with a little bit of a teaser of this new idea that came to mind. I'm not sure how it'll all end but I have a vague idea of how the plot should turn out. Please don't expect me to update regularly because I most probably will just disappoint you there. But I WILL update when I have the time. So to anyone who might have some ideas to share to enrich my unfolding plot, please do give me a shout out.

I hope I'm improving, that's all.


	2. Pieces of Monotony

**I Hate Black Cats**

by: Warm-Ice

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its character. I do own any OC that may arise in this story however.

_The Cold World(translated)--Vitas_

_The world around us is frozen_

_Like a lump of ice_

_And life is gone forever_

_The clouds in the sky got frozen_

_Within a moment_

_For ages to come_

_Only emptiness was everywhere_

_For a long time_

_And my dream got lost_

_In the emptiness_

_In this cold world_

_Thoughts got frozen up_

_And tears turned into ice_

_Blank people hide_

_Their cold eyes_

_From one another_

_In this cold world_

_Joy was forgotten_

_Only misfortune was left_

_The planet became smooth_

_There are empty towns_

_Everywhere_

_Night follows day_

_As it has always been_

_But you can't escape cold_

_Everybody got used_

_To the emptiness_

_Darkness and vanity_

_Nobody believes any more_

_That the warmth will come_

_The sun will become hot again_

_And melt the ice_

_In this cold world_

_Thoughts got frozen up_

_And tears turned into ice_

_Blank people hide_

_Their cold eyes_

_From one another_

_In this cold world_

_Joy was forgotten_

_Only misfortune was left_

_The planet became smooth_

_There are empty towns_

_Everywhere _

It would be called stupidity, the thing that she just did. It was not thoughtlessness for she had thought of it again and again and again as she helped him limp to the shrine. The simulated rain beat down on them as if the government itself was whipping her and the harsh winds were not very forgiving. The people that had not yet made it home stared at them with emotionless faces or perhaps faces filled with disgust. That was probably a sign too to turn back and just leave this man and this little girl to whatever it is that the government has given them. But no matter how strongly her logic protested, it seemed that now her body could move of its own accord without the brain's help.

She asked herself repeatedly what the hell she thought she was doing. No answer came to mind. She could just hear her own grunts as his heavy arms laid across her shoulders. He was not a very cooperative victim that was for sure. He kept insisting that he didn't need any help but he obviously did. He could barely walk a mile without breaking out in a sweat. He kept his silence in silent mortification, or so she would like to think, once she proved to him that he did indeed need her. The mute little girl was helping him too…in her own little way. She held his hand securely in hers and would tug at it when he would slowly stop his steady pace.

By the time they got back, Kagome and the two strangers were completely soaked. Her sweater which was supposed to give her at least some warmth, proved incapable of doing its job. Instead of warming her up, it collected the cold purified water and soaked her body in it, making her as cold as if she had gone without it. Maybe even colder. Her hand twitched, the one that held the strange man's arm across her shoulders, and she realized that this man she was holding was warm. She looked up at him; his head hung low and tired eyes set forward. His amber eyes still gleamed even without light. It imprinted itself into her mind and she knew that even if this turned out to be something trivial...she would always remember his eyes. She turned back to her path and steeled her determination just a little more.

She hid him in the well house once they arrived, making sure that he and the girl were safe and comfortable. She left them for just a moment to change and bring them dry clothes and a blanket to keep them warm. Maybe she was not going to be able to heal all his wounds, whatever they may be, but she brought her M.K. as well just to close up what wounds she could.

She brought another umbrella, this one was the same as the one she had lost: black, with a gray handle and the laser-light stem. Her arms were full when she opened the door, mentally complaining about how much she had to carry just for this couple of no bodies. But when she opened her eyes to look down at them, she saw that the girl was peacefully sleeping, curled up in the arms of the man sitting down with his back leaning on the rusty old well. Her heart softened considerably at the sight of them. He didn't seem as cold now that he held her so protectively in his arms.

He looked up at her with those dazzling eyes and all tenderness from his gaze quickly became indiscernible, turning cold and emotionless. Way to make anyone else feel unimportant. She frowned just a little before going down the few steps and putting down her umbrella to the side. She sat on her heels in front of him and she busied herself with the objects in her arms as he watched her closely. "Here." she said, offering him a neatly folded towel. "You should dry yourself off, you might catch a cold."

He looked at it for moment, and then to her, "I do not need it."

"Mister, please don't be stubborn anymore. You both need to dry off or you're _both _going to catch a cold. Can't you think for her sake?" she tried to convince, insisting that he accept the darn towel. It was just a stupid towel. Why did he have to be stubborn about that too?

"We do not catch colds." he simply answered.

Her frown deepened and she lost her patience, both because he was stubborn and because she was still going out of her way to help said stubborn man. "Don't be ridiculous please." She said, coming forward and setting the towel over his beautiful, shiny, long silver hair and rubbing it vigorously on his head. She could see that his shoulders were tense but she was not relenting, instead continued to dry his hair roughly. After a while of him not moving, her irritation slowly ebbed away and her scrubbing became slower and gentler. "Sorry." she muttered with guilt, thinking she probably hurt his wounds. He stayed silent and she was starting to feel like he hated her so she moved back to get another towel for the girl.

She did her best not to look at him as she scrubbed at the young girl's unruly black hair, tenderly wiping at her dirty face until there was no longer any sign of mud or ash on her beautiful, angelic face. For a moment, she'd forgotten the stranger and simply stared at the girl, admiring the thick long lashes she wished she had, taking note of the tiny balled hands at her chest. Thankfully, it seemed that she didn't have any injuries. A small smile graced her lips and Kagome had to wonder why such an innocent creature had to suffer such a fate. The government was always rightful and just in its judgment. What had this fragile looking little girl done to wrong VALE2?

Realizing that she was staring for too long, Kagome blinked away her trance and turned around to reach her M.K. Taking the tiny white transparent plastic box in her hands, she opened it and put it on her lap, looking for the medicines for closing wounds. "Let's clean your wounds first before—" she stopped in mid-sentence as she looked up at him, his glazed eyes staring back at her with a cold glare. But that was not what shocked her and made her gasp. The bleeding slash on his shoulder, the one she tried desperately not to look at throughout this whole ordeal, was slowly healing.

Her brown eyes, eyes she knew everybody else had, eyes that were in no way special, widened in surprise and she couldn't help but jump to her feet and move away. The M.K. and all its contents fell with a loud clatter on the damp ground. Her knees were trembling as only one thought came to mind.

No matter how advanced VALE2 citizens were, they were not advanced enough to regenerate. This was no ordinary man.

Alarms went off in her head and she quickly turned to run away, not really knowing where to go or who to tell—or if she should tell anyone at all. All she knew was that she had to get away from them.

But before she could reach the door, a warm hard hand took hold of her neck from behind, freezing her in place. Her whole body was trembling but not because she was cold. She might die. She was going to die.

This was what she deserved.

Who in their right mind after all would take a completely suspicious stranger to their home, trusting fully that they were harmless despite their appearances and every little signal that came her way? She was stupid. She was so damn stupid. And this was her punishment.

But really, what had she done wrong? Isn't it a miko's job—no—duty! Isn't it a miko's duty to help those in need? Isn't there some moral reward she was supposed to achieve because of her kindness?

Can it actually be called kindness, her deeds? Sure, she helped them out. But had she done it out of the goodness of her heart? The answer was no. And the result is to die in the hands of this man with amber eyes.

Her breath was so quick; her heart was about to explode in her chest. Closing her eyes tightly, she tried to figure out a way to get out of this situation. That was when he spoke again, his voice booming against her ears like thunder just as lightning struck and illuminated the dark well house for a moment.

"If you scream I will not hesitate to break your neck."

She tried to calm herself, breathing deep despite the fact that she wanted to scream after hearing his declaration. This was serious. This was really serious. How did this happen? Why her? Why her of all people? Had she done something wrong to anger…who? The government? As far as she could remember she was always the law-abiding citizen. She'd never broken a law in her life and she respected every single rule the government gave. What had she done wrong?

Her breathing calmed but tears were welling up in her eyes. They stayed silent for a long while until the little girl grunted in the man's arms.

"We will vacate the premises soon." Her eyes opened wide in surprise. "You shall not speak of this encounter to anyone." He was letting her go? Slowly his hand loosened its hold on her neck but Kagome could still feel his heat lingering on her skin. What was going on? Why wasn't he hurting her? She was afraid to turn around. What if he was just toying with her, waiting for her to turn around then killing her then? Her fingers were trembling beside her but she couldn't make them move.

She could hear his soft footsteps on the muddy floor and gasped just a little as his image passed her by. It then came to her that he was indeed leaving. The little girl was soundly sleeping with her head laid comfortably on his broad shoulder. She was smiling softly, making Kagome's heart churn.

"Wait!" She found herself saying. The man did not stop and he was rising to the exit, ready to face the rain again like before, this time without cuts and bruises. She didn't want to call out to him. She wanted a peaceful life with everything going as planned. But her body once again took over, making her mind feel useless and unnecessary. "Please! Stay!"

That made him stop.

"I don't know who you are…and I don't think I want to know. But if that little girl is going to be with you…please just stay here." He was silent for a long while and the little girl stirred just a little. "I won't ask you about where you came from or what happened. I won't tell anyone about this either. Just…just don't let her go back out there."

With grace no man, woman, or digital person could apply to a simple action, the silver haired man turned to face her, his eyes looking down at her as if she were something far beneath him.

"You have no business with us." He said coldly. But she was unaffected.

"I won't be able to live with myself if I let you take that girl out into the freezing cold rain. I have a conscience too, you know?"

They looked at each other, staring the other down for what seemed like an eternity. Then a soft little voice broke the silence, making both of their eyes widen.

"Rain." She spoke so gently, as if she'd never heard the word before. The little girl was awake now, rubbing her eyes and pulling away to look up at the man who stared at her with inconspicuous disbelief.

Her almond eyes were curious and tired at the same time. They seemed to stare at him intently in silent question and silent request. "Rain." She said again.

What went on between them, Kagome would never understand. She didn't even try. It seemed that the two had a deeper bond than what meets the eye. And to her surprise, the man looked down at her again with those blank amber eyes. The little girl looked at her too and surprised her again with her bright gap toothed smile.

"Rin." She said.

"Rin?" Kagome asked.

Her smile just got wider, "Rin!"

What was Rin? She'd never heard of it. Okay, so maybe she wasn't the smartest girl in the bunch but she was sure there was no word in the dictionary of technical dictionary like that.

She looked to the man for an explanation but he just blinked at her and moved past her, sitting back down in his former place. She turned around, watching the little girl snuggle up against him lovingly.

Slowly, warily, she took small steps toward them. He stayed immobile, his eyes too busy with Rin to mind her unimportant presence. Once she was close enough, Kagome slowly got on her knees and sat on her heels, looking from the little girl to the man.

"So, you're staying, right?" she asked, just to make sure.

The two looked at her and Rin smiled brightly again, making Kagome feel just a little less tense.

"I'll come back tomorrow to check on you guys and bring you food after my morning chores, alright?" she said, gathering her things back into the M.K. Her hands were still trembling. She was still scared. She wanted to ask herself, are you crazy? What the heck was she doing? He just threatened her life for Kami's sake!

But as she grabbed the antiseptic, a little hand took hold of hers. She raised her eyes to meet the almond ones of the little girl and she found herself mesmerized in their depth and clarity.

Kagome stared at her longer than she should but that just made the little one smile even brighter, in turn making Kagome's heart melt. She'd never seen such beauty in a child before. Never in her life had she seen a smile so innocent and bright. It was making everything lighter. The dark gray monotony of life, she could feel it. It was falling apart all around her and she could do nothing to stop it.

She wanted to scramble about and pick up the pieces, to vainly put them back together. But the small warm hand held her trembling cold ones with such curiosity and gentleness that she no longer felt like she could pick up the pieces. Let the pieces rot in the gutter.

At that thought, she was more afraid than when he threatened her life.

(o)---(o)

Author's note: Okay, so first chapter went well. I guess I still have some free time even though I have a quiz later and instead of studying I'm doing this. Haaay...I'm so lazy. To Dragonsfire13, thank you and actually my inspiration to the story is the world around me here in the Philippines. It's a stark contrast of VALE2 and I wanted to explore their differences both socially, politically, and economically. Kat75, I'm glad to see you again. Hehe, it makes me just a little more motivated to write. Ice miko, thank you very much and no, I can't say I've read 1984 but I'd love to read it though. I'll try not to notice the sucky writing. Hehe.

Okay, so now I've updated I will once again do some school work. Hopefully, some information will sink in.


	3. The end

**I Hate Black Cats**

by: Warm-Ice

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its character. I do own any OC that may arise in this story however.

The morning was a chore. A great chore, Kagome would kindly add. She woke up early in the morning no matter how late she'd stayed up last night to help someone who threatened her life. She found sleeping a chore as well; his burning warm hands still lingered in her mind, wrapped around her frail neck. She had to look around her room once every ten minutes just to make sure the shadows at the corner of her eyes were just that.

Anyway, after waking up, she had to go make herself look like a prim little miko, complete with the hairdo. She really had nothing much against her uniform, it was just that she supposed it would look better on someone like…Kikyou, high-class citizen 2080453216, entertainer of all classes. She sighed a little in admiration at the thought of the grandeur citizen/singer/dancer/actress/designer. That girl had everything made for her and rightly so; as far as tabloids go, Kikyou is known to be a saint! She was as kind as kind could go. Now if only, Kagome were as kind as that, then she would—no…her fate was different from Kikyou. No matter how kind she was, she would always be a miko. That was her destiny. That was her sole role in society.

Sweeping the damp ground outside the shrine, Kagome hummed to herself, thinking of the upcoming movie Kikyou was going to star in as a miko. Oh, she would look splendid! And having people wear what she was wearing would make them think she—ordinary citizen—would look cool too!

She sighed again, this time with disappointment, knowing that her idealistic thinking would not happen anytime soon.

"Kagome! Have you given Buyo a bath yet?" Her grandfather's croaky voice asked aloud from inside the house. Kagome turned back to it and yelled back.

"It's next on my list, Grampa!"

But he didn't seem to hear her. "What?"

"I said it's on my list!"

"What?"

"It's on my list!"

"What?"

"I SAID—" but then she stopped herself, feeling her throat becoming sore.

Just then, Souta opened the window that overlooked the shrine, looking for her. "Nee-san, Grampa's asking if—"

"Tell him it's on my list, Souta." Kagome said, flipping her hand to dismiss the annoying subject.

"What?"

"I said it's on MY LIST!!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Kagome!" Her mother's voice called from within. "Stop shouting like a madwoman. Your brother can hear fine."

Kagome blushed then, realizing how much of a fool she made herself appear to be. Souta giggled at her and closed the window, going back inside and leaving Kagome to grumble in embarrassment. But Kagome turned back around at the sound of a soft giggle.

It was the little girl looking up at her with that big gap toothed smile.

Kagome blinked at her before smiling back and greeting, "Good morning." The girl came closer to her, with slightly shaking knees and looked curiously at her laser-broom. Kagome noticed her and tried to explain. "Ah, well, you see…I'm supposed to sweep this place. It's called a Shrine."

She looked up at her and blinked again before cocking her head to the side in a very adorable fashion. "Shrine?" the word seemed foreign to her lips.

"Un." Kagome nodded, stooping down to level herself with the cute little girl. "Don't you know what a shrine is?" What was wrong with this girl? The way she looked at everything, it was like it was _all_ new to her. She understood that the girl was young, but come on. Even operea students—students at the age of 2-6—knew what a shrine was.

But before she could come up with an explanation of what a shrine was, the little girl reached up with warm little hands and cupped her cheeks. She stared at the smiling little girl for a moment before blushing at the interested shine in her eyes. This girl was just staring at her without saying a word and she was mighty uncomfortable.

"Kagome." She said softly, a sweet smile adorning her face. It took her a moment to realize that the little girl had just said her name. "Kagome." She said it again. For some reason, it was making her heart melt.

"Yes," she answered, nodding her head. "I'm Kagome." She confirmed, bringing her hand to her chest for effect.

The child's smile got brighter and wider then she said to her, "Rin!"

Again with the word, Rin. What was rin?

"Rain?" she tried. "Are you trying to say Rain?"

"Nnn…" She said, shaking her head.

"Rin." The now all too familiar booming voice called from behind the little girl. Abruptly, the little girl let go of her to look back. And that was when Kagome realized what the little girl was trying to say. "Come here." Rin was her name. She watched as the little girl, Rin, ran towards him and hugged his now healed leg.

Raising her sight, she saw from his leg up that all his wounds were properly healed as if nothing had ever happened. His hair was so neat and shiny and long. It was completely out of the ordinary, especially when paired with his amber eyes. He no longer looked so hurt. Now he looked twice as menacingly threatening as before but at the same time, his stance held some sort of pride in it. Like a king.

He was looking at her, she noticed. With those same emotionless eyes she kept thinking of the night before. She struggled to smile and greet him with just the same warmth as when she greeted Rin. "G-Good morning. I suppose you two are hungry." She stood up and patted her clothes straight in yet another attempt to distract herself from his cold stare. "You'll have to wait just a little bit while I clean up the Shrine."

"You are a miko." She wasn't really sure if it was a question or a statement but she nodded at him anyway. He narrowed his eyes at her and she shrank back in return. Did she say something bad?

"We are grateful for your assistance." He suddenly said. She waited for him to say more but he just walked on past her, down the stairs.

"Ah—wait!" She called, spinning around as Rin passed her by. The couple looked back at her expectantly. "Y," she stuttered, unsure of everything suddenly. "Y-you're going?"

The two didn't even have to reply. Kagome bit her lip, not wanting to let her words get out. They were leaving, she was glad. She's supposed to say 'Good riddance!'

"You don't wanna have breakfast first?" Curses.

"Breakfast." Rin repeated, mulling it over before tugging at her older counterpart's pants. "Breakfast..." she muttered to him.

"You do not require it, Rin." He stated harshly. Kagome wanted to huff at the man who was eager to leave. Was being in her presence really that unnerving? It was a childish thought she knew. Rin pouted and looked down in disappointment but He was not affected by it. He started to descend the stairs and pulled a quieter Rin along. Kagome watched them for a moment before Rin looked back at her with that same pout. Damn, children were her weakness.

"W-Wait!" She yelled, making the man turn around again, this time with a slightly irritated shine to his eyes. She put up her hands to stop him as she dropped her laser-broom and scampered into the house. Once her figure disappeared within the establishment, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"We must leave now." He told the little girl without taking his eyes away from the door. She was probably calling the authorities. They turned around, Rin a little reluctant and slowing down his pace. At the bottom of the stairs, Rin harshly tugged at his hand, making him stop to look at her. She looked up at him with those bright eyes and the connection from before between them happened again.

"Kagome..." Rin said softly, shaking her head as if to tell him to trust her.

"No." He said sternly. With that finalized, they started to walk away.

Just then, her faint voice called to them. "Hey, wait!" The pair looked up to the stairs and saw Kagome flying down the steps, holding a yellow bag in her hand. She wasn't the most graceful runner, but she got to the last step of the shrine fast enough without tumbling. She breathed harshly, holding onto her chest where her heart was beating rapidly. Between her quick breaths, he could make out the words, "Told you to stop..." but did not respond. Once Kagome regained her breath, she raised the bag as if she was giving it to him. He only stared at it blankly.

"Take this with you" she said softly, looking up at him.

His eyebrows knitted together softly as if to ask her what it was for. She shook her head off of the sweat that started beading on her forehead.

"I put some breakfast in there, an umbrella, a set of clothes for Rin, some cold medicines if ever she gets sick, three bottles of water, and some pocket money so you guys won't have to walk all the way to wherever you're going." She enumerated, still holding the bag up but her hand was getting tired so she added, "Will you just take it already?"

"We do not need i--" but he was silenced when Rin took the bag in her arms and tried to take it from Kagome's hand.

"Hey, Rin, don't." Kagome said, not letting go of the bag. "It's too heavy for yo--" Before she could finish, the bag was already lifted from her hand and out of the little girl's reach. The two ladies looked up as he slung the yellow bag over his shoulder in silent resignation. Lifting his eyes to her again, he was a bit surprised to find the miko smiling at him.

She bowed and smiled brightly at both of them, "Take care of yourselves, alright? Use the umbrella if it starts to rain again, okay?" She called as they started walking away.

Rin turned around, holding Sesshoumaru's hand in her daintly little hand and using the other to wave goodbye to her. "Kagome!"

"Ja ne, Rin-chan!" Kagome said.

"Ja...ne!" Rin said, seemingly experimenting on the word.

And that was the end of it; her whole wacky experience with these strangers. It was over.

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** Authoress' Corner: In case you're wondering no, it is not the end of the whole story. It would be so unlike me to have such a short story. Hehehehe. Anyway, it's been a long time since I've updated and this somehow feels refreshing. I feel like I'm coming back to my old laid back self. Haha. Right now I am unable to speak, you see I've lost my voice because of a cold. So for now, all I can do is sign language or type. But not a lot of people understand sign language so I'm forced to resort to typing. Haaaay... Okay, to Kat57, awww, I didn't realized I missed your teehee until I read it again. Awww...RosaryMustang, I'm glad you like it generally. Care to give any suggestions for improvment? **


	4. Disapiridores

**I Hate Black Cats**

by: Warm-Ice

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its character. I do own any OC that may arise in this story however.

"Ne, Kagome, why don't you skip training for today. Let's go out and have fun tonight, okay?" Her 'good' friends said, pulling at her sleeve and annoying the heck out of her. Her eyebrows furrowed in deep thought as she sucked through the glowing red straw the flavored drink she ordered along with her health pod special. Everybody else had forgotten their health pod jumbos and frosted anti-dehydrate, trying their best to pull off a puppy dog look.

"I have a lot of chores to do." Kagome tried to reason.

"Aw, come on. You're a lianager! You're supposed to rebel! Follow the rules when you get to the age of a manager, okay? For now, be a bubbly, care-free lianager. It's the privilege of youth, Kagome. Don't tell me you never thought of going on a date before?"

She coughed so violently that the flavored drink she was sucking shot out of her nose and immediately, her friends moved back in disgust. Quickly, she covered her nose and looked at them pointedly. "D-date? Come on, who'd want to go out with me anyway?" She flustered as she wiped away the liquid with a tissue from the corner.

They all gave her a flat look and said blankly, "Hojo-kun, perhaps?"

"Eh?" was all she could say. Honestly, it was pathetic. This was the only way they could bring color to their lives; indulging in trivial, stupid, meaningless things. She really didn't want take part in it. Especially since Hojo's involved.

"Come now, Kagome. Don't tell me you haven't noticed his affections toward you? He's been like that for...what?" she looked to her friends for help. "Three? Four?" The other two agreed with four. "Four years and you still haven't given him a chance."

"Tell me, Kagome. Are you really that shy or are you just playing with poor Hojo-kun's heart?" the other asked.

"I-it's not like that at all!" Kagome said, waving her hand in front of her as if waving the very accusation out of her vision and trying her best to smile despite wanting to scream at them for accusing her of such a heinous thing. "H-Hojo-kun is really a nice guy."

Immediately, they all leaned in closer with dark looks as if they were feeding off of her every word. They were so overbearing that Kagome had to lean back in her seat out of pure reflex. "But?" they asked suspiciously.

"Aha...ahahaha..." Kagome laughed awkwardly, trying to get out of this situation. 'Gotta talk about something else.' she thought to herself as she sucked again on her drink, looking away as if to look for somewhere to run to.

Just then there was a familiar sound of the door sliding open and soon, Kagome heard her friends say, "Oh, hey. It's Fuko-kun." That had the miko perk up in surprise and turn to the door and lo! There before her was her good friend, Inuyasha, looking for her apparently.

"Ah, Fuko-kun!" her friend waved her hand up for him to see and once he did, he walked towards them. "Good afternoon, Fuko-kun." The three greeted as Kagome tried to make herself seem just a little bit more proper in front of the aloof looking boy.

"Hey." he said with a disinterested nod. Turning to Kagome he said, "Oy, I gotta talk to you."

"I have a name, for your information." Kagome said indignantly, just a little bit angry but not really. How could she ever be truly angry at him? He was...is...her first love after all. And he knew that, she told him that long ago. He just...didn't love her back that way.

"Whatever, we gotta talk." he said impatiently. The three girls got the cue and excused themselves, bidding Inuyasha farewell and reminding Kagome to go out with them later that night.

"Osuwari." Kagome said, offering the seat to Inuyasha, which he took with a huff. Roughly, he lifted his feet and plopped them down on the table, spreading his dirt all over the clean surface. Kagome just sighed at his bad manners and waited for him to start the conversation. But Inuyasha just looked out the window, crossing his arms across his chest, looking all cool in his red leather jacket and baggy pants.

Seeing that he wasn't gonna start, she decided to get the proverbial dice rolling. "So, what's the matter?" it was probably another rant about how annoying Miroku—his classmate—had been that day. Or maybe he and Kouga had another fight in the cafeteria? Inuyasha was the only one like that. She'd never known anyone as dynamic, or exciting, or daring...or kind.

"I've been having those dreams again." that brought her full attention. For a few months now, Inuyasha had been confiding in her that he'd been having horrible nightmares where his ebony hair turns white, his brown eyes turn molten gold in hue, and his nails and fangs grow dangerously. But that was not the worst. In his dreams, he could see himself killing someone in one way or another. He swore many times that he had no idea who these people in his dreams were. And not long after, the same people would appear on the news as _Disapiradores_—the ones who have suddenly disappeared from the surface of the earth, without a trace. Even until recently, no one has found any of the _Disapiradores_. It was a great mystery and the cases were often left unsolved.

Inuyasha must be afraid. Despite his tough exterior, Kagome knew that the last thing he would ever want to do was to kill anyone. She assured him that everything was either coincidence or his ability to foresee the future. He chose to believe the latter.

"It was a woman this time." he said, his eyebrows furrowing in worry. She was..." for a moment, his eyes flickered to her hesitantly and that made her feel just a little uneasy.

"She was what?" she asked.

"She looked a lot like you."

Her blood ran cold.

"M-me...?" she asked after a long while of silence broken only by the soft buzz of conversation around them.

His expression was that of pain, as if the thought of her in any danger hurt him more. Kagome could feel her heart warm, the way Inuyasha always made her feel. He was such a good friend to her. Slowly, his eyes turned to her and Kagome heart clenched at the sheer sadness in his eyes. "My hands...were covered with your blood...and I...I..."

"It's okay, Inuyasha." she cut in, reassuring him with a soft smile. "I'm right here. I'm fine, see?" she added, opening her arms for him to see her unscathed form.

Suddenly Inuyasha pulled down his feet and slammed his hand on the table, shocking the people in the eatery. "But what if you won't be tomorrow?!" He exclaimed, anger shining in his eyes. "Or the next day? Or the next? What'll happen then, huh? It's not funny, Kagome!"

"I know, I know." She said, raising her hands up to placate the angered Middle Class citizen, her childhood friend. "I'm sorry."

Leaning closer, Inuyasha looked at her with determination she always saw in him. "I don't want you to go out of the house from now on."

"Excuse me?" she asked, checking if she heard him right. "Are you ordering me not to leave my house?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm telling you."

"And what about school huh? What about the shrine? What about my life outside the house?" sometimes, Inuyasha can really be an idiot.

"Would you rather risk your safety?"

"Inuyasha, I can't postpone my life just because you had a nightmare! I have more important things to do!"

"You're not listening to me, woman! I'm telling you this for your own good!"

"I am not going to stay in my house like a hermit just because you told me to, Inuyasha! I refuse to be locked up by fear!" She said, standing up and taking her leave as the final answer. She ignored his calls for her, ignored the stares of the many on lookers, and just stormed out of there. She hated it when they fought but it seemed like almost every conversation they had more often than not ended with an argument. She sighed heavily. Why couldn't they get along like normal people? Didn't he know that it hurt her whenever they fought?

With heavy footsteps filled with frustration, she made her way home, acknowledging for only a little while the forecast resounding throughout the city through the hover-news that flew over their city every hour. It said something about another artificial rain coming that evening and she made a mental note of it. But then, at the thought of that evening, she remembered her argument with Inuyasha and proceeded home with returned frustration. The logical side of her brain wanted to know why the government wanted yet another day of rain. But her hypothalamus ruled over her logic and all she could think about was Inuyasha's illogical argument.

But then again, she thought, what if Inuyasha's dream comes true to me too? Did that mean she was going to disappear too? Just like all those people? Just like…

She raised her eyes to the sight of the shrine as her feet rested on the landing of the shrine stairs.

Just like her father?

She came into the shrine and looked up to the holophoto of her father, smiling so kindly at her. She remembered reading in history books that the lesser humans—the ones who lived before VALE1 was even thought of—used to have the primitive version of the holophoto. They called if pictured and it didn't move or have voices then.

"Father." She uttered and when the holophoto heard her voice activation, it began to move and look at her.

"_Kagome-chan."_ His smile was so wide and warm and gentle. His chest heaved as if he was right there, breathing before her.

A well known ache filled her heart but she smiled despite that. "Tadaima, Otosan." This was their rehearsed tradition ever since she started to go to school. And as it was programmed, the holophoto answered.

"_Welcome home, Kagome-chan." _

Her smile began to wane as thoughts of _Disapiradores_ returned to her and the image of her holographic Father went on saying what it was programmed to say, perfectly mimicking his voice, his gestures…but the twinkle in his eyes—the ones she knew to be only his—it could not be imitated.

Her father was like them too. Those people who suddenly disappeared without a trace.

When she woke up, he was still smiling at her. He even flirted a little with her mother in the kitchen. He played with Souta on the sofa, throwing him up into the air and catching him with a laugh. Grandpa had watched them with a soft smile on his face then, and waved goodbye to him with a prayer for good luck in his job as he went off to work. But that night, he didn't come back. Nor the night after that, nor after that…He never came back and no one knew where he could have been. The government did what they could to help but there were no leads. In the end, they closed the case and forgot about it. They just assumed he was dead. That's what they told her family. That's what they told her. He was 'probably' dead. That's what they said.

She didn't need a reason to be angry at the government. She didn't need a reason to be angry at all. It wasn't until her vision blurred that she realized she was crying and that the holophoto had already repeated its cycle.

"_Welcome home, Kagome."_ It said again, smiling that smile again. She was really sick of that holophoto. She wanted to hit it with all that she had, scream at it, break it to the point that it's irreparable. But she couldn't. She just looked at it with a single tear falling from her eye.

"Father, please protect me tonight. I'm going to try to make myself a little bit happier."

It only smiled at her and said, _"What did you do at school today? Really? You haven't been dating behind my back now, have you?"_

If she was going to disappear tonight like what Inuyasha said would happen…then maybe it would take her to her father…

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_**Authoress' Corner:**_

Hey there, people. It's been a while. I've actually already prepared this chapter a long while ago but never got to upload it since I've been busy. Well college is fun, never filled with a boring day…okay maybe a boring day once in a while. Anyway, at least my brain isn't rotting at the corner, right? Haha! I really think I've become more matured nowadays. But I'm still as loveable as always! Haha! GYABOO!!! To my reviewers: thank you very much for reading.


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